Bigfoot Carbon Emissions Trends & Analysis

Introduction

Since 1970, CO2 emissions have increased by 90%, mostly due to the increase in fossil fuel consumption and industrial processes. The effects of this trend are drastic, leading to global warming, air pollution, and other destructive environmental consequences. This project aims to visualize society’s carbon footprint, through the lens of energy consumption, both renewable and non-renewable. Then focusing on the United States, we want to illustrate to the general public which regions have the highest carbon footprint. Finally, we want to show how you can decrease your overall carbon footprint based on your lifestyle.

Average US Household Carbon Emissions

KWH Per Month

Flights per year

Miles Driven per year

Lbs Recyclables per day

Consumption and Emissions Trends

The world’s energy consumption is an important factor to consider when discussing our carbon footprint and emissions. Historically, the world’s consumption of non-renewable energy far exceeded the consumption of renewable energy. In fact, renewable energy consumption increased over the past couple of decades, with fossil fuels, oil, and coal being the most-consumed energy source. Click through and interact with the visualizations below to learn more about the world’s energy consumption breakdown (in terawatt-hours):

Carbon Emissions Analysis

The problem with consuming so much non-renewable energy like fossil fuels is the impact that has on the environment. The visualization below shows a clear relationship between countries’ non-renewable consumption and CO2 emissions, with both metrics increasing over time. Check out the visualizations below to see how CO2 emissions (in metric tons) and non-renewable energy consumption changed over time for countries around the world:

US Trends

The differences in geography and level of urbanization across the US mean that energy consumption trends can vary wildly between different areas. To better understand and display these trends, we’ve explored data tracking the tons of CO2 emitted yearly by zip codes across the country. The chart below displays this data in a more readable fashion, with dot color indicating the average footprint of a household within the zip code and dot size indicating total footprint of the region. Explore the different emission trends across the country by using the sliders below the visualization to filter the data and mouse over individual points to see exact values for specific zip codes:

Emissions Calculator

Wondering how you contribute to carbon emissions? Enter your information below to view your carbon footprint and compare it to major US cities.
We encourage you to play with the information below to find ways to decrease your carbon footprint. Methods include selecting a vegetarian or vegan diet, purchasing clean energy, or utilizing public transportation.



If you are interested in planting trees to offset your carbon footprint, consider donating to Carbon Fund Organizations’s Plant Tree Initiative.

Carbon Fund Organizations’s Plant Tree Initiative


 Carbon Footprint Calculations (based on US EPA’s Calculations):
 1) Goods and services annual emissions are estimated 4 metric tons of carbon emissions per person in the household
 2) Recycling metal, plastic, and glass reduces your waste-related annual carbon emissions by 58%
 3) Food-related annual carbon emissions for meat lovers, avg omnivores, no beef eaters, vegetarians, and vegans are 3.3, 2.5, 1.9, 1.7, and 1.5 metric tons respectively
 4) Travel via car, bus, subway, and intercity rail releases 19.6 (based on an avg of 21.6 mpg), 0.13, 0.26, and 0.34 lbs respectively of carbon emissions per mile
 5) Short flights, medium flights, and long flights are estimated to produce 0.55, 0.31, and 0.55 lbs respectively of carbon emissions per mile
 6) Hotel stays estimate 84.37 lbs of carbon emissions per day
 7) One mature tree offsets 48 lbs of carbon emissions